"Americana: Bristol during the 1930s"

November 01 — 30, 2010 — “Americana: Bristol during the 1930s” as viewed through the eyes of Kelly & Green on display in the Virgie R. Fleenor Art Gallery at the Bristol Public Library.

Mr. Albert S. Kelly, Sr. founded a photography services business in Bristol, Virginia during the late 1910s. He opened a store at 514 Cumberland Street on July 3rd, 1920 that offered “expert Kodak finishing, multigraphing, and commercial photography.” The business was often described as “the most complete picture service within two hundred miles of Bristol.”

When Mr. Kelly’s son sold the business, he generously donated a collection of vintage and collectible cameras to the Bristol Historical Association. In addition, he gave a box of negatives of photographs that had been produced in the 1930s.

This collection contains over five hundred negatives which have been scanned and made digital. Sixty-three of them have been developed into the images that will be on display at the Bristol Public Library. The exhibit, “Americana: Bristol During the 1930s,” was created by Roy and Carolyn Williams for Bristol Historical Association.

“Americana: Bristol During the 1930s,” runs through the month of November in the Virgie R. Fleenor Art Gallery at the Bristol Public Library. The hours of operation are Monday-Thursday, 9am — 8pm, Friday and Saturday, 9am — 5pm, and Sunday, 2pm-5pm.